Amanda looked over Nicole’s shoulder and got a really good look at Aaron’s face. And froze, as memories of that day at the coffee shop came flooding back to her.

Nicole, taking advantage of the distraction, began to make her way painstakingly slowly to the edge of Amanda’s field in an attempt to escape and help Aaron. She only prayed that he could keep the others tied up long enough for her to be of some help before it was too late.

Seth took his first deep breath in minutes, and the black mist on the edge of his vision began to recede.

Jake and Raphael held a hurried conference, trying to decide whether they should step in and help. Kashif leaned in and whispered to Raphael to start hitting Aaron with pain the moment Josh started firing his guns. He had seen the speed of the newcomer and figured their only shot was to push him off balance at the right time and take him down for good.

Leslie began to seriously consider getting the hell out of there for good. This was way too intense, people were getting hurt and worse things were definitely on the horizon. The only thing she had signed on for was a quick in and out with no casualties, no fighting even necessary. Then a little voice in the back of her head called her a coward. Leslie ran forward to help Josh. With each step she took away from the kiosk her control wavered a little, and the stone cage shivered.

Nathan came to in a flash, on the ground and with a blinding headache. Every sense screamed danger at him. He looked around wildly. He saw Aaron standing surrounded by villains, Josh in front with guns drawn, Raphael staring him down from the side, and Leslie covered in what looked like liquid stone body armor carefully approaching from behind. He saw the dead look in Aaron’s eyes, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. Most importantly, Nathan knew who to take out first (as if he would even have time for a second shot). The only problem was, he didn’t have any electricity strands left and couldn’t draw out more without pulling attention to himself.

Then he saw the throwing knife on the ground next to him; and less than a foot away he spotted an electrical socket.

Without stopping to think about any consequences, Nathan reached over, grabbed the knife, and jammed it into the wall socket, letting out an unearthly howl as he started to die.

The feeling was different than anything he’d ever felt before. When Nathan pulled the blue-white electricity out of his own body he could feel the life pulsing in it, the living lightning that his heart was pumping out with each beat. It warmed him, it heightened his senses, and it made him feel more attuned to the energy of the world. But this? The electricity he pulled out of the wall was black and dead, and when it slithered down the knife and around his fingers he felt it poisoning his entire life force.

Disgusted and terrified, Nathan yanked the knife out of the socket and hurled the limp black energy away from him. The bolt hit Raphael in the face. The young villain sank down to the floor, unconscious but still breathing, if barely.

Leslie turned from Aaron and bore down on Nathan instead. With murder in her eyes she raised her hands and clenched them tight, focusing all her attention on the task at hand. The stone wall around the kiosk rippled and flowed down like water, hardening back into pebbles on the linoleum. Leslie didn’t notice.

The ground began to tremble, and then split apart as a pair of ten-foot granite hands shot out of the floor on either side of Nathan. He stared back at her, helpless but unafraid, waiting for the end.

Nicole finally broke free of Amanda’s field and ran as fast as she could towards Leslie. Halfway there, lacrosse balls began to pelt into her side and back. She absorbed all the energy without slowing and permitted herself a little smile. She felt rather than saw Amanda realize her mistake and come chasing after her. She poured on the speed and, with a last step, released some of her energy through both feet and shot off the ground at Leslie like a thrown javelin.

Seth climbed to his feet slowly. His body seemed to vibrate with the sonic pressure that was building in his throat, begging to be released.

Kashif saw that his brother wasn’t getting back up. He leaned over him, worry pouring out of him like sweat.

Tyler locked onto Kashif from outside, grabbed the worry, and cranked it up as far as it would go without driving the villain insane.

“JAKE!” Kashif screamed frantically. “We’ve gotta get Raphael out of here NOW!”

Jake came over, leaned down to look at his unconscious friend. “Don’t use our real names you idiot!” he hissed. “Besides, where the hell are we gonna take him? Look around!”

Kashif grabbed Jake’s shirt and pulled his masked face in close. “I. DON’T. CARE! He needs help and we’re going NOW! Help me get him up!”

Together the two of them got Raphael up between them.

“We go out the front door.” Kashif rapidly laid out a plan. “You go off like a spotlight to cover us. As soon as we’re clear we lose the masks and call an ambulance. We make up a back story on the way. Understand?”

“Yeah,” Jake said with a tremor in his voice.

“Let’s go.”

The other heroes and villains paid no attention to the trio, caught up as they were in their own fights.